IN AN INTERESTING STUDY, Interland found that 96% of small and medim-sized businesses in the US use the Internet with most having high-speed connections. Of the 780 business leaders surveyed, 60% use e-mail marketing. 54% use search engine optimization, 27% use online coupons, 20% use pay-per-click advertising, 19% use blogs, 11% use podcasing and 10% use RSS feeds.
NB: Isn’t it interesting to see more using podcasts than RSS?
The attractiveness of the Internet for small business is evident in the study with 78% reporting that their business is healthier as a result, with 76% stating that their website generates leads for sales, and 82% reporting recurring monthly online revenue.
Jeffrey Stibel, CEO of Interland, said “These results demonstrate that business leaders understand the importance of the Internet, Web sites and online marketing tools and are acting on that knowledge,” “Since first introducing the Interland Small and Medium-sized Business Barometer in 2003, we have seen significant growth of businesses using online tools and offerings to attract, service and satisfy customers.”
While more and more small and medium-sized businesses are tapping in to the online market, they aren’t measuring the results consistently. To be successful with online marketing, it is essential to track your e-mail campaigns to see what’s working and what’s not working. One handy application that should be included in every e-marketers toolbox is a good e-mail tracking service, like Infacta’s GroupMetrics. With email tracking software, e-marketers will know how many people are opening their messages and what links they’re clicking on. Understanding the importance of open rates and click-through rates is essential for any businesses engaged in online marketing. Perhaps more important is understanding that these rates can be improved dramatically by measuring your campaigns regularly with email tracking services. There’s a big difference between doing something and being successful at it!
